The bottom line: Europe’s lack of its own frontier AI models makes it vulnerable to policy decisions by non-American governments.
The US Department of Commerce has instructed Anthropic to block non-US citizens from accessing its latest models. For European regulators, this is a wake-up call on technological sovereignty in AI.
The US Department of Commerce ordered Anthropic to deny non-US citizens access to its current models. Anthropic subsequently blocked access for all users, including US citizens. This was the first time Washington had actively cut off Europe’s access to US cutting-edge technology.
The order serves as a catalyst for the European debate on technological independence. French conservative Édouard Philippe, former Prime Minister under Macron and 2025 presidential candidate, warned of a “vassalization” of Europe and proposed measures such as a “Buy European Tech Act.” Finnish conservative MEP Aura Salla criticized Europe for building its technology infrastructure on foreign access rights “that a government can shut down overnight.” Bulgarian MEP Eva Maydell calls for clear identification of European defensive capabilities and accelerated development.
For chief data officers and compliance officers, the strategic question becomes urgent: which critical AI functions must be built on European or trusted infrastructure in the medium term? French start-up Mistral is seen as Europe’s most promising candidate for frontier AI models and is currently negotiating a €3 billion funding round at a company valuation of €20 billion.
France’s Digital Minister Anne Le Hénanff emphasized the importance of energy infrastructure: the country has abundant, decarbonized and competitive electricity and can thereby host data centers required for training complex AI models. Several European politicians also highlighted the need to rapidly build computing capacity. This week offers several opportunities for discussion: a G7 meeting in France, consultations in the European Parliament on technological sovereignty, and a summit of EU leadership in Brussels.
Source: www.politico.eu · Published June 14, 2026
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